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 Arab military exercises planned for Saudi Arabia have raised
speculation that Riyadh is considering land operations in Yemen,
after three weeks of air strikes that failed to halt advances by
Shi'ite fighters now in control of most of the country.
President Abd-Rabbu Mansour Hadi named Bahah, a former prime
minister and diplomat, as his deputy this week in an attempt to
widen support for his government, now exiled to Saudi Arabia since
the Iran-backed fighters, known as Houthis, seized the capital and
launched a lightning advance on the south.
Bahah is one of the few figures in Yemen whose popularity crosses
regional and sectarian lines. Speaking in the Saudi capital Riyadh
at his first news conference since taking the post, he said: "We are
still hoping that there is no ground campaign announced with the air
campaign."
The Houthis, who have formed an alliance of convenience with army
units loyal to former Yemeni president Ali Abdullah Saleh, seized
the capital Sanaa in September and then advanced toward the southern
port city of Aden.
Establishing the government's legitimacy is central to the Saudi-led
campaign to drive back the Houthis and prevent Iran from gaining
influence. Iran denies allegations that it provides direct military
support and funding to the Houthis.
With the Houthi advance showing no sign of slowing, the prospect is
growing that Saudi Arabia and its Arab allies could launch a land
war in Yemen, the poorest country in the Arabian Peninsula. The
leading Sunni and Shi'ite Muslim powers in the Gulf, Saudi Arabia
and Iran, are already backing opposing sides in proxy conflicts in
Syria and Iraq.
NEW FRONT
The United Nations says the latest Yemen conflict has already killed
600 people, wounded 2,200 and displaced 100,000.
Foreign countries have evacuated their personnel. They include the
United States, which has been waging a drone war against Yemen's
branch of al Qaeda.
Nearby shipping lanes, including the narrow Bab el-Mandeb passage
through which nearly 4 million barrels of oil are shipped daily en
route to the Red Sea and Suez Canal, could also be at risk from the
conflict.
Yemeni tribal forces took control of a major southern oil terminal
after military forces protecting it withdrew from the site, local
officials and residents told Reuters on Thursday.
The tribal group known as Al-Majles al-Ahli made up of former Al
Qaeda militants took over the terminal in the city of Al-Shihr in
Hadramawt province, according to local officials and residents in
the region, adding that there were no clashes between the soldiers
and the tribal forces.
The terminal is one of the major hubs for Hadramout region exporting
an average of 120,000 to 140,000 barrel per day (bpd) of crude from
fields in the area.
Heavy fighting broke out in and around the central Yemeni city of
Taiz on Thursday, residents said, pitting a pro-government army
brigade and tribesmen against the Houthis and army units allied to
them.
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The combat opens up a new front for the Houthis, who have been
fighting battles with militiamen across southern Yemen, and signals
that control over army units by their ally, former president Saleh,
may be weakening.
Bahah called on Yemen's armed forces to support the "legitimate"
Yemeni government in exile, a message clearly aimed at army units
still loyal to Saleh, who ruled for 33 years until he was toppled
after the "Arab Spring" public protests of 2011.
"At this historic moment, we send our call to all the sons of the
armed and security forces to act on behalf of the legitimate state,"
said Bahah.
Saleh has teamed up with his old foes the Houthis against his former
backer Saudi Arabia, displaying the cunning that enabled him to lead
the fractious country for so long.
However, the Saudi-led air strikes appear to have led some army
units loyal to Saleh to switch sides and back Hadi's government.
Bahah said a ceasefire must precede any peace deal and no
initiatives would be considered until Hadi and his government return
to Aden, where they enjoy the most support.
However, there is no sign of compromise on either side.
A senior Houthi official told Reuters he rejected the prospect that
Hadi could return to the country, accusing him of "treason".
Mohammed al-Bukhaiti, a member of the Houthi movement's politburo,
added that the Saudi-led bombing campaign against the must stop
"immediately and without any conditions".
In a further sign of political breakdown, United Nations envoy to
Yemen Jamal Benomar announced his resignation. The veteran Moroccan
diplomat had helped broker the transition plan under which Hadi
replaced Saleh three years ago.
(Additional reporting by Noah Browning; Writing by Michael Georgy;
Editing by Peter Graff and Sophie Walker)
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